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The Areopagus, or Hill of Ares or "Mars Hill" in Athens was the site of a council

that served as an important legal institution under the Athenian democracy. In

acts chapter 17, we read that Paul spoke to The Council of the Areopagus thus:

"It is plain to see that you Athenians take your religion seriously. When I arrived

here the other day, I was fascinated with all the shrines I came across. And then

I found one inscribed, to the god nobody knows. I'm here to introduce you to this

God so you can worship intelligently, know who you're dealing with. (Acts17:22,23 - Message)

To be introduced to, to know and love the creator of all heavens and Earth; to call

him Father, to be constantly introduced to new aspects of His love to me, to

express my love and constant awe of such a relationship is what worship is to

me.

We look at what the Bible has to say about Worship this week. The newsletter is

attached.

The Shepherds Staff Chapter 17 Page 1 of 4

John Kodiyil - [email protected] - +91 90481 24673 - Private circulation only.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]

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WorshipA. BLESSING GOD"Bless the Lord, O my soul! and all that is within me, bless his holy name" (Ps

103:1 - nasb). It is awesome to consider that we have the ability to bless our

Creator, but time after time in the Scripture we are exhorted to do just that. We

bless Him through our praise and worship of Him. See Psalm 34:1-3.

B. PRAISE

Praise is an expression of admiration and appreciation. When we praise some

one, we tell them how wonderful we think they are, or how great their

accomplishments are. It is the same with the Lord. Praise has to do withacknowledging God's character and power.

"Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as

long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands" (Ps 63:3,4).

1. Why do We Praise God?a. Because Of who He Is. "Sing praises to God, sing praises, sing praises to our

King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of

praise" (Ps 47,6,7).

b. Because Of what He Does. "Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being

praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems my life from the

pit and crowns me with love and compassion. He satisfies my desires with good

things, so that my youth is renewed like the eagle's" (Ps 103:1-5).

2. Who Is To Praise God?a. Those Who Seek God. "...they who seek the Lord will praise him ..." (Ps

22:26).

b. Everything That Has Breath. "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord" (Ps 150:6).

3. When Do We Praise God?a. At All Times. "I will extol the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my

lips" (Ps 34.1).

b. In Every Circumstance. "Be joyful always; pray continually give thanks in all

circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (Ths 5:16-18).

4. Where Are We To Praise God?a. Surrounded By God's People. "He [Jesus] says, 'I will declare your name to my

brothers; in the presence of congregation I will sing your praises:'"

b. Among The Nations. "I will praise you, O lord, among the nations; I will sing ofyou among the peoples" (Ps 57:9).



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c. On Our Beds. " I will praise you as long as I live .. with singing lips

my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of

you through the watches of the night" (Ps 63:4-6).

C. WORSHIP

Whereas praise is an expression of admiration and appreciation,worship is an expression of love and adoration. It is possible to

admire someone and appreciate what they without being in love

with them. In the same way, worship has to do with our love of the

Lord. It can be expressed only with the giving of our whole heart

and life to Him.

"To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and

with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, is

more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices" (Mark

12:33).

The religious rituals and ceremonies of Israel in the Old Testament

became detestable to the Lord because their heart was far from Him

(Isa 1:10-15; 29:13. Today, also, God is only interested in the

genuine and sincere worship that comes from the heart.

"Yet a time is coming, and has now come, when the true

worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are

the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his

worshippers must worship in SPIRIT and TRUTH" (John 4:23,24).

Read also verses 4-25.

1. In SpiritOur spirit is called the "inner man" (Eph 3:16). True worship takes

place when the inner man, in response to the promptings of God's

Spirit, expresses love and adoration to God. This can take the form

of spoken words, a love-song to the Lord, or silent adoration.

True worship requires the action of the Holy Spirit on our spirit. So,

only those who have been "born again of the Spirit" through faith in

Jesus Christ can truly worship God (John 3:5-8).

2. In Truth

To worship God in truth is to worship Him as the Bible says weshould. Nadab and Abihu (the sons of the high priest) offered

strange fire before the Lord and died (Num 3:4; 26:61). This sober

warning illustrates the need to study God's plan (the Tabernacle of

Moses) for priestly ministry.

There was sacrifice, cleansing, anointing and clothing before

worship (Exo 30:17-38).

You will note in Revelation 1:5,6 that we are "... washed from our

sins in his own blood" before being made "...priests unto God".

There was much preparation of the priests before they could go intothe Holy Place to worship the Lord. To ignore the steps outlined was

perilous. We must worship in truth - in the Bible way.



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D. EXPRESSIONS OF PRAISE & WORSHIP IN SCRIPTURE

1. With The Moutha. Singing (Ps 9:2,11)

b. Praising (Ps 103:1)

c. Shouting (Ps 47:1)

2. With The Handsa. Lifting (Ps 63:4)

b. Clapping (Ps 47:1)

c. Musical instruments (Ps 150)

3. With the Bodya. Standing (Ps 134:1)

b. Kneeling, bowing (Ps 96:6)

c. Dancing and leaping for joy (Ps 30:11)

"Who among the gods is like you. O Lord? Who is like you - majestic in holiness,

awesome in glory, working wonders? ... Sing to the Lord, for he is highly

exalted..." (Exo 15:11,21).

"Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord ... for you are great and do

marvelous deeds; You alone are God... I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all

my heart; I will glorify your name forever" (Ps 86:8, 10, 12).

MY COMMITMENTThe greatest thing I will ever do in this life or in eternity is to worship God. I

determine today to be a true worshipper and to make this my supreme goal in

life.



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